At least 6 dead in Japan as Typhoon Shanshan grinds on

KYUDEN Holdings

31/08/2024 06:42

TOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - At least six people were dead
as Typhoon Shanshan crept eastward through Japan on Saturday,
drenching large areas with torrential rain, triggering landslide
and flood warnings hundreds of kilometres from the storm's
centre.
    Footage on national broadcaster NHK showed homes with roofs
partly sheered off while cars drove wheels-deep on flooded roads
in the country's southwest. The storm made landfall in Kyushu on
Thursday, bringing record levels of rainfall.
    One person was missing and more than 100 have been injured,
said Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency. More than
35,000 homes were without power in southern Kyushu's Kagoshima
prefecture, according to Kyushu Electric.
    Shanshan, centred in the Pacific Ocean some 480 km (300
miles) southwest of Tokyo at 12:50 p.m. (0350 GMT), triggered
heavy rain as far away as the northernmost prefecture of
Hokkaido, despite being downgraded to a tropical storm on
Friday. Winds were gusting up to 25 metres per second (90 kph,
55 mph).
     Authorities have issued flood and landslide warnings around
the country since the storm's arrival, halting air and rail
services and shutting factories.
    The storm is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression
over the weekend but is expected to continue to bring heavy
rain, NHK reported.
 

 (Reporting by Kevin Buckland)
 ((Kevin.Buckland@thomsonreuters.com;))